Choke, and more

1. I saw Choke this afternoon. Since I have not read Palahniuk's novel, I won't give extensive treatment to the movie, leaving the task for Nilay (probably), who (I'm fairly certain) has read it, and will (most likely) see it. I will say a couple things:

(a) I liked it. Sam Rockwell has been so consistently enjoyable to watch throughout the years -- he is an extremely engaging protagonist (See, e.g., Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), and in a supporting role, he can steal the show (see Matchstick Men, Hitchhiker's Guide). He doesn't disappoint in the role of Victor, the sex-addicted, choke artist with Mommy issues.

(b) Victor basically does four things: He has sex with random people (sometimes at sex addict meetings); Visits his mother (Angelica Huston), who's suffering from dementia, at the looney bin; Works at a replica colonial village with his also sex-addicted buddy, Denny; and he chokes (on purpose) in restaurants to get people to save his life, forever binding himself to them (often in the form of their being interested in his continuing welfare).

(c) The humor comes from a dark place (as is often the case, in general), but the movie resists the temptation to become maudlin or overly preachy. Bonus. See it.

2. On Trailers. I, too, saw the trailer for Revolutionary Road, and afterward, Bree turned to me and asked "where's the drama?" I guess she's right. It's about an issue that all of us face -- turning into corporate suburban drones with a house, kids, and a creativity-stifling job -- but it's hard to see how that will create a realistic conflict that would warrant Leo punching walls.

There were two other trailers of note: (a) Doubt, a drama starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams as two nuns trying to figure out whether a priest, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman ("PSH"), is having an inappropriate relationship with a boy at their school. It's based on a hit play, looks great, and is ideal Oscar-bait. (b) Synecdoche New York, the directorial debut of postmodernist* screenwriter, Charlie Kaufmann, writer of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The movie appears to be about a character, played by PSH, who builds a to-scale replica of New York -- in a warehouse.

3. The "Best Thing This Week". That would have to be the season premiere of The Office, in which Jim finally gets to propose to Pam, Ryan returns as a temp receptionist, Dwight and Angela have a torrid affair, and Michael and Holly (Amy Ryan) continue their ineffectual flirtations. I just don't know how Steve Carell maintains his energy. It's amazing.

In second place is the return of Heroes -- I admit it is not exactly a great show -- it's a guilty pleasure. In the world of either-ors, I definitely go with Lost over Heroes, Dogs over Cats, and Beatles over Stones. But that doesn't mean I can't sit down once in awhile and enjoy me some Sylar, with a cat on my lap, listening to "Jumpin Jack Flash."

Heroes is like a Melrose Place crossed with X-Men, so it fills so many needs for me. Don't judge.

*If you'd like to have a debate about the meaning of "postmodern," please leave your comments and I will respond by deconstructing them and telling you why the presence of the debate nullifies the meaning of the question.